Spiritual Message for the Day – The Spiritual Guide by Sri Swami Sivananda
Baba Times Digest© | 26 September 2014 14.40 EST | New York Edition
The Glory of Divine Mother
Divine Life Society Publication: The Glory of Divine Mother by Sri Swami Chidananda
The Puranas are sacred scriptures which are the framework into which have been filled the knowledge of the ways and means of conquering man’s lower nature, achieving integral perfection and attaining the glorious goal of a sublime Divine Consciousness. An important portion of the Markandeya Purana consists of the renowned Devi Mahatmya which glorifies Divinity in its aspect of Sakti or Devi. It is comprised of 700 verses and hence it is also known as Devi Saptasati. And here you have a brief summary containing the very essence of this great scripture of Devi Mahatmya.
Before the dawn of creation, at the commencement of the Kalpa when Lord Maha Vishnu is reposing upon the bosom of the vast undifferentiated ocean, two terrible Asuras,—Madhu and Kaitabha,—arise out of His Cosmic Being. They are terrible. They are dangerous and having perceived Brahma they set upon him to destroy him. Threatened by these powerful Asuras and menaced by their malevolent motive, in great fear Brahma invokes the supreme, indescribable Divine Power, the Primordial Power, Para Sakti or Adi Sakti and implores Her merciful intervention.
The Divine Mother appears and awakens Lord Narayana from His Cosmic slumber. The Lord engages Madhu and Kaitabha, the two Asuras, in battle and destroys them both.
All the gods and the celestials hail the Mother with cries of victory. Mahishasura, a powerful demon, has overcome all the Devas and has subjugated them. He is terrorising the three worlds. He is enraged to hear the Devas crying victory unto the Mother. He thinks that he alone is supreme. He is arrogant in the extreme. He will tolerate no other being to question his power. Therefore, he decides to make war upon the Divine Sakti whom the Devas are hailing. He confronts the Mother with drawn weapons. There ensues a terrible fight. Bitter is the struggle. Asura fights from all the elements. He takes fearful forms. But darkness cannot stand before light. The Divine Power is the Supreme Power. Truth always triumphs. Victory is to the Supreme Reality. Devi slays the Asura. The Divine overcomes the undivine.
The Divine Mother whose glory shines and dazzles in the three worlds is seated in the Himalayan region in the form of Saila Putri. At this time Sumbha and Nisumbha, two powerful Asuras, hold absolute sway over all the worlds. They have subjugated all the Devas, Yakshas, Gandharvas, Kinnaras and the like. They have rested and got into their possession all the best of things like the celestial Airavata, Uchchaisravas, Kamadhenu, Kalpavriksha and the Chintamani. They are intoxicated with the pride of their prowess and their conquests. Their desire is insatiable. They want to possess more and ever more.
Two Dutas from the Durbar of the powerful Asura brothers behold the Divine Mother and decide that She should come into the possession of their royal masters. They inform the Asura Sumbha of their find. Sumbha sends at once a royal messenger to bring Devi to his court. Devi says She can come only to one who conquers Her in combat. She refuses to go with the messenger. The messenger conveys the news to Sumbha. He blazes with anger and sends Dhumralochana. Dhumralochana tries to lay his hands upon Divine Sakti. Devi with a single Humkar of anger reduces him to ashes. He is consumed in the flames of Devi’s wrath. Next the Asura, Raktabija, comes to fight. He is an Asura of extraordinary magical powers. Moreover he is in possession of a boon by which whenever a drop of his blood falls on the earth immediately a new Asura springs upon therefrom. So every time the Devi wounds him and spills the blood, countless powerful Asuras spring anew and fill the field of battle. Devi invokes Kali, the terrible dark-hued deity. All-powerful Kali slays the Asura Raktabija, sucking in with Her terrible outspread tongue the Asura’s blood more quickly than it can flow out of his wounds. Kali sees that his blood never reaches the earth. Thus, the Asura Raktabija is destroyed by the Devi. Sumbha and Nisumbha now confront the Devi. A great battle ensues. Nisumbha is killed and ultimately Devi with Her trident deals the death blow to Sumbha also. The undivine forces are thus totally annihilated. The Divine rules supreme.
Vidya has overcome Avidya. Light has conquered darkness. Knowledge shines with the destruction of ignorance. Joy, bliss and immortality reign supreme. The Divine Mother shines in glorious triumph. All hail to Maha Sakti. Glory be to the Mother.
Excerpts from: The Glory of Divine Mother by Sri Swami Chidananda
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